Sports stars, footballers and managers are human too. What I mean by this is life still happens to them. Challenging life events or experiences still happen. So, just like the rest of us, they end up in challenging relationships, enter into marriages that break-up acrimoniously, have loved ones who get sick with nasty illness, cancer or mental health difficulties. They can experience accidents and get into car crashes like we all can. Just like the rest of us.
What we see is them performing on the pitch or under the spotlight. What we don't see is their life outside those 90-minutes a week, when they are training, at home, with their family, at the hospital….
We see them composed, focused, coping, performing athlete. This is what we expect.
We don't see the struggles, challenges, emotions, arguments, angst, doubts, fears. Who expects this from high paid stars doing what we dream about doing?
Sports stars are able (mostly) to cope with competitive pressures and they can apply these same skills to other situations in life - well, up to a limit. After this, they can struggle just like the rest of us.
So, although I am deeply saddened to hear about the suicide of a sportsperson (Gary Speed, Wales Football Manager this week and Robert Enke in November 2009), it doesn't surprise me. Footballers, coaches and managers are human, they will experience struggles and at times need help to cope with their life – both on and off the pitch.And, for young men, suicide is an option that many will consider and some will act on, when life becomes too difficult.
It takes a brave person, professional athlete or not, to seek help during their darker days. These are days when the sufferer likely feels detached from others, has withdrawn from teammates, family and friends, and the number of solutions become more and more limited. Sports associations, managers, coaches and teammates should all be able and open to help them access the right professionals. Then we can significantly reduce the chance that suicide is their most attractive solution to end their struggles.
Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
www.sportspsychologist.com
What we see is them performing on the pitch or under the spotlight. What we don't see is their life outside those 90-minutes a week, when they are training, at home, with their family, at the hospital….
We see them composed, focused, coping, performing athlete. This is what we expect.
We don't see the struggles, challenges, emotions, arguments, angst, doubts, fears. Who expects this from high paid stars doing what we dream about doing?
Sports stars are able (mostly) to cope with competitive pressures and they can apply these same skills to other situations in life - well, up to a limit. After this, they can struggle just like the rest of us.
So, although I am deeply saddened to hear about the suicide of a sportsperson (Gary Speed, Wales Football Manager this week and Robert Enke in November 2009), it doesn't surprise me. Footballers, coaches and managers are human, they will experience struggles and at times need help to cope with their life – both on and off the pitch.And, for young men, suicide is an option that many will consider and some will act on, when life becomes too difficult.
It takes a brave person, professional athlete or not, to seek help during their darker days. These are days when the sufferer likely feels detached from others, has withdrawn from teammates, family and friends, and the number of solutions become more and more limited. Sports associations, managers, coaches and teammates should all be able and open to help them access the right professionals. Then we can significantly reduce the chance that suicide is their most attractive solution to end their struggles.
Dr Victor Thompson
Clinical Sports Psychologist
www.sportspsychologist.com
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